Not OP, but I did give it a chance (couple of weeks) and I just can't seem to get used to it. I have no issue with alternative input types (I frequently switch between anything in mouse keys, trackpad, regular mouse and both finger and thumb operated trackballs), but I was just super inaccurate with the Trackpoint, the pointer kept flying off all over the screen it for some reason. Tweaking sensitivity/acceleration helped a bit, but not by much.
I can definitely understand the appeal - having a mouse on the home row is pretty damn cool - but damn didn't I have a good experience. Using it for a couple days doesn't mean you'll like it.
Even though a Mac track pad might be the best trackpad out there, a trackpad has always been less than optimal substitute for a separate mouse, but being build in the device and always available made up for that gap in convenience.
For laptops, if the principle agrees with you, a trackpoint is a far superior device to even a separate mouse for almost all uses.
I found the Mac trackpad worse than those on other laptops actually - seems to somehow get in my way more and it's push down thing seemed far more annoying than the tap gestures common on other devices. Fortunately that switch is possible on them I believe, just seems like you're giving up a "feature" to change it...
That'll be why you found it so hard. It's not really a book you can 'skim through' at all, but if you pay attention, maybe take some notes and reread the sections you may be having trouble with, you'll start to get the idea.
The great thing about GEB is that Hofstadter basically assumes no prior knowledge from the beginning of the book - he just asks that you pay close attention and exercise your analytical mind. You'll then soon start to notice the patterns, jokes and puzzles in the writing, and how they all relate very closely to the ideas presented in the book.
Note: the book isn't necessarily out to prove anything, and if you're looking for a massive 'aha!' moment towards the end of the book, you'll probably be disappointed. It's just an incredible journey down the recursive rabbit-hole that ties together mathematics, formal logic, linguistics, biology, computer science and loads more all through the extremely deliberate use of language throughout.
It still blows my mind, but requires a good amount of concentration, re-reading and note-taking - which seems fair enough as I can't even imagine how long it took Hofstadter to write!
“You're reading it wrong” seems like a questionable defense of any book to me, in the same way that “you're tasting that broccoli wrong” and “you're listening to Paganini incorrectly” might be.
I only mention this because it hurts to see people waste weeks of their lives trying to appreciate something under duress (be it literature, music, art) or under the belief that the fault is with them rather than simply accepting their lack of any natural affinity for the thing they are studying.
Sometimes it is worth working to appreciate things that are alien to you to stretch the mind, but other times it's perfectly fine to accept that a cultural artefact just might not be for you; that there is nothing wrong with the way you have been consuming it. It frees you to move on and find something new.
I totally agree. I don't think anyone should read, watch, or listen to something because some other group of people defined it as great. I will say, though, that if a sizable group of people define something as "great", you might at least be curious and give it a chance. I took a music appreciation class during a January term in college, and it really opened up the world of classical music for me, and I think my life has been better for it.
I'm not arguing that OP was 'reading the book wrong', just sharing my experience reading it myself. I personally found it pretty rewarding though challenging, I'm just sharing my experience. I found that taking notes and re-reading sections (along with talking to other people who have read/were reading the book) helped clear up some of the ideas in my head. If somebody gives it a go and decides it's not a book that they're interested in - that's fine, it's not my job to pressure you if you find it doesn't resonate with you personally.
Thought I'd share seeing as I've not seen this posted before and I've been using this software pretty much constantly for the past 5 years or so.
xwax is one of the only open source pieces of DVS software that's comparible to the proprietary alternatives (serato, traktor) which all cost in the hundreds of dollars just to get digital vinyl working. it works with cheap soundcards, you can get a full DVS setup with about $30 worth of extra gear, and you'll actually get much better latency (<5ms) using ALSA on linux than you'll get with any of the proprietary alternatives.
massive shout out to the xwax developers that have made an incredible piece of fast, straightforward and useable software for DJs and turntablists everywhere <3
https://www.novelty-automation.com/